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Sun seekers fly away to avoid the rain clouds

Most of those jetting off are heading to the resorts of Spain, Turkey and Greece.

Those remaining for music festivals or sporting events may end up sheltering under umbrellas.

Forecasters are predicting possibly heavy and thundery rain across Wales, south west England and Northern Ireland on Friday.

It will be followed by a very unsettled day across Britain on Saturday with plenty of cloud and heavy, sometimes thundery, downpours.

It could be quite windy on Saturday, with temperatures not much higher over the weekend than 20C (68F) - a stark contrast with last weekend when the thermometer touched 32C (90F).

The return to wintry weather follows previous bank holidays washouts.

The Highways Agency said about 194 miles of roadworks will be completed before the weekend and 59 miles of further works will be suspended over the holiday period.

Officials added, however, that roadworks on the M1 would cause delays at Luton, Beds.

On the railways there will be some engineering work but most services will run as normal.

Travel organisation Abta said Spain and its islands were the most popular overseas destinations for Britons this weekend.

Paris, Amsterdam and Dublin were among the most popular city breaks while domestic tour operators reported the south and south west coasts of England were favourite spots for those taking breaks in the UK.

An estimated 400,000 people will fly from Heathrow over the weekend, with 250,000 leaving from Gatwick, 150,000 from Manchester, 124,000 from Stansted, 68,500 from Luton and 62,500 from Birmingham.

Channel Tunnel high-speed train company Eurostar will carry 60,000 departing passengers this weekend and ferry services and Eurotunnel trains will be busy.

Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said: ''As always at the end of a major sporting event, many people are looking to head off for a break either at home or overseas.

''Spain and Greece continue to be popular with many holidaymakers taking advantage of the strong pound, which is at a four-year high against the euro, as well as the fact that prices in bars and restaurants have come down.''

Network Rail and the Association of Train Operating Companies said about 6.1 million passengers were expected to travel on main line trains between Saturday and Monday.

The Highways Agency said Thursday evening and bank holiday Monday afternoon were expected to be the busiest times on the roads.